Unemployment—particularly the unforeseeable kind—can be traumatic. Depending how long you go without a job, it can cause everything from financial strain to clinical depression (watching reruns of Scandal will only keep you happy for so long). But experts are beginning to wonder whether having a bad job can be even worse on your psyche than having no job at all.

Quitting an unfulfilling career takes a lot of planning (and guts…lots and lots of guts). It's easy to go months, even years, dreaming about the day you'll finally say "See ya!" to your unsupportive boss or exhausting corporate culture, but chucking security and a stable paycheck can feel impulsive or straight-up irresponsible.

The thing is, drifting along in a position that's not stimulating or satisfying is detrimental not only to your physical wellbeing, but also to your brain. New data suggests that mental health improves greatly with fulfilling jobs, and it worsens significantly with bad ones.